Bittersweet and Snow-in-Summer: The Autumnal Equinox

Bulletin:  The NWS confirms the  September Autumnal (Fall) Equinox arrives in Montrose, Colorado, USA on September 22, 2021, at 1:21 PM, MDT.

American bittersweet

I was born a few minutes after midnight on September 21st, in the midst of a violent  equinoctal storm.  Such storms are not unusual around the autumn equinox.  Since I was born within the 24 hours of the day of the equinox (you don’t need to know the year!), I always counted it as part of my birthday and have a special fondness for its folklore and celebrations. It is in many ways a bitter/sweet time as the days shorten and the nights grow cold. It is a time to look back and a time to look forward. Welcome to my favorite time of the year.

                                                  -  Annake

This equinox occurs in the autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, at the same time the Southern Hemisphere is welcoming Spring. See our post for March 17, 2021, "Spring Things", for a discussion of the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.  A number of places have similar celebrations on both occasions.

During the Equinox, the sun passes what we call the "celestial equator".  This is an imaginary extension of Earth's equator out into space, through the sun, and beyond.  The equinox occurs precisely when the center of the Sun passes through that line from North to South.  It passes from South to North for the Spring (Vernal) Equinox.  The word equinox comes from the Latin word aequus, meaning equal. and the word nox, meaning night.  This indicates a time when day and night are of equal length, but that isn't what really happens.  

Monarch butterfly

For one thing, the sun is measured precisely from the time the outer edge appears just above the horizon.   But he edge of the sun can actually be seen before this time because Earth's atmosphere refracts the light.   Also the day isn't considered over until the sun has completely set and the edge has disappeared below the horizon, even though there can still be some light and color in the sky.  So there is always more sunlight by a few minutes than there is darkness.  The sun continues down the curvature of the Earth from North to South America.  The real miracle, I believe, is that our migratory birds and migrating butterflies like the Monarchs  follow this same line to find their way to their homes for the rest of their year,  many by ways we don't yet understand.

All this celestial movement causes remarkable effects at specific places on the globe at the time of the equinox.  Even  in very ancient times, people who studied the sky were aware of this and frequently included rituals showcasing the effects in their rituals. Some cultures built massive stone edifices to celebrate the celestial movements. The massive stone features of Stonehenge in England have a history stretching back 4,500 years and have featured ceremonies and worship by many diverse civilizations during that time.  We know that it acted to show features like the equinoxes and solstices, planting and harvesting seasons, and similar dates important to the people.  Only recently has it been discovered that it can be used to calculate a celestial occurrence which only happens every 47 years!   The most important viewing happens at dawn of the day following the equinox when crowds of people wait patiently in the dark, awaiting the rising of the sun. Later there are all kinds of celebration with many people dressed in colorful costumes representing both historical and mythological figures.

Sunrise at Stonehenge

At Chitzen Itza in Mexico,  an ancient monument whose name translates to "The Hitching Post of the Sun", has been a the center of a celebration at both the spring and autumn equinoxes for centuries. It is a popular tourist attraction for guests from around the world.  The high point of the ceremony comes when a stream of light that represents a great serpent slithers down the pyramid from top to bottom. (See our Spring equinox post.) The surrounding area provides opportunities to enjoy food, music, dancing and other delights.  Be advised, however, that many of the celebrations that we mention in this article will not be held this year because of the pandemic.  Plans are already being made for 2022 or 2023.

In ancient Greece the autumn equinox was associated with Persephone, the daughter of Zeus, who after spending the spring and summer with her parents on Earth, returned to her husband in the Underworld  at this time and lived with him for the rest of the year.  Pomegranates were one of her favorite foods and so became known as ‘The Fruit of the Underworld.’  They are still eaten to honor her even today. (I  used to ask for one instead of the traditional orange in the toe of my Christmas stocking.)  If you like, you can celebrate by eating a ripe pomegranate or drinking canned or bottled juice.

Viewing autumn foliage is a great passion here in the United States and Canada.  New England is famous for its colorful autumns.   Thousands of people visit the area for the annual "leaf peeping". Ontario, Canada even has an aerial tour to view red maple, yellow poplar, and white birch. Here in the Rocky Mountains we are very proud of our colorful aspens. Here is a picture of some of them.

But most people have the wrong idea about what causes the change of colors and when that actually happens.  Many people believe that the leaves change and/or drop off because of the autumn weather conditions. But the change actually started much earlier in the year.  Remember that the days have been gradually shorteing since the Summer solstice, the longest day of the year.  (See our post about the Summer solstice here.)   As the days shorten there is less and less sunlight to provide the energy for leaves to make food. Eventually there is not enough chlorophyll for the leaves to retain their green color and photosynthesis stops.   The leaves change color and most fall to the ground.  If there is a heavy frost too early in the season, as there was here last September,  many dead leaves may hang from the tree until new buds form the following spring.

Ways to Celebrate the Equinox with Children

 

• If there is still a Farmer's Market in your area, visit it and choose some varieties of produce that you don't see at the supermarket.  Look for fruits and vegetables that may be new to your family.
• Have fun getting ‘lost’ in a corn maze.
• Take the children to pick apples or choose a pumpkin to make pumpkin pie.  (It's all right if they don’t want to have their pumpkin cut up.)
• Get the children together and have them help you decorate the house in autumn colors symbols: cattails, branches with bright autumn leaves, cornstalks, autumn flowers (asters, sunflowers, chrysanthemums), maybe a scarecrow.
• Go on a nature walk.
• Show the children how to press colorful autumn leaves and use a guidebook to identify them.
• If you are near the ocean and the area is safe for children, go beach-combing for shells and "buried treasure".
• Visit a local zoo. Many have special programs this time of year.
• Rake leaves into a pile and let the children jump into it. Do some jumping yourself, it's good for you. Finish the cleanup.
• Visit a bookstore or library and look for books and storybooks that have autumn themes.
• Learn an autumn poem by someone like Robert Frost or James Whitcomb Riley. Or write a poem of your own.  There are also beautiful (and short) poems in haiku. Read some, write some.
• Have a family sing-along.
• Concoct your own original pumpkin treat.

Moon Festivals are popular in in China and Vietnam.  These are harvest celebrations.  They are not celebrated on the equinox itself but on the first Full Moon after the equinox. (This year that will be October first.)  Brightly-lit lanterns are a big part of the festival.  Vietnamese children wear colorful masks.  People celebrate by giving Moon Cakes to family and friends.  These are said to be delicious pastries with lotus-seed paste, sesame seeds, duck eggs or dried fruit inside. (Here in the USA it is a custom in several southern states to give Moon Pies in the same fashion.)  There is a somewhat similar holiday called Chuseok in Korea.  The Japanese like to visit beautiful  gardens jn the autumn.  Japanese Buddhists clean the graves of their ancestors and decorate them with flowers during the week of the equinox.  They honor the setting of the sun as they look to the West, where they believe  the land of the afterlife is located.

Zen garden in autumn

In this country, Native American celebrations of the autumn equinox are important.  Many of these are closed to the public, but some generously allow visitors. You can make a pilgrimage to the ancient observatory in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.  You can watch how light passes through the spirals that the ancient Anasazi people carved on slabs of stone and watch make complex designs in rock art. Nighttime sky watching helps you see the constellations that the ancients saw and named.

Chaco Culture National Heritage Site

The Museum of Northern Arizona, at the base of the San Francisco Mountains, rests on land belonging collectively to many tribes. Each year they produce the Fall Heritage festival, featuring the art and craftwork of many tribes. This year it has been canceled because of the pandemic, but plans are being made for 2022 and 2023.  (You can find them online.)

The tribes in many parts of the country have harvest celebrations, featuring traditional foods, especially corn, which has a special significance.   Full moon celebrations honor the changes in daylight.  You may see honor paid to each of the directions because all have influences in weather, light, winds, and other features of life.  You will probably hear thanks given to the plants that provide food, medicine,  shelter,  and other necessities of life. All of these are ancient traditions.  The drums and chants are an extremely important and exciting part of any celebrations, as are the traditional dances, which have special meanings. If you ask questions seriously and politely, you will either get an answer or be told that that information is not disclosed outside the tribe. Remember that the indigenous peoples had vast civilizations on both the North and South American continents for thousands of years before other peoples came along. This is  a bittersweet time for them when ‘holidays’ like Columbus Day, and Thanksgiving often demean them  and propagate untruths about their cultures.  If you cannot go to them with an open mind and an open heart, don't go.  And parents, please do not dress your children as phony ‘Indians’ at Halloween. You are doing a disservice to both the children and the indigenous cultures.

A Message from Annake for Parents with Troubled Children

 I taught at all levels for fifty years on three different continents and observed children of all ages in many kinds of crisis.  I must say that I am extremely alarmed about the current state of mental health of children of all ages, but especially pre-teens and teenagers, since the advent of the pandemic.

There is a practice from Denmark called Kyggkogck, performed as the days shorten and darken. Families gather to discuss everything that happened in the past year, good and bad.  Good things are celebrated, and plans are made to avoid or ameliorate the bad things in the coming year. I highly recommend something similar to parents, perhaps somewhat modified, in this pandemic era.

Sit down as a family and discuss the good and bad things that happened to your family during the past season (or year).  Be honest.  Don't "sugar-coat" anything. Really listen to your children.  Sometimes it takes a lot of effort to find out what is really bothering them.  Take note of what they agree were good things so that you can build on them.  Plan together how to make things better in the future. It is helpful if parents show a united front even though they may not always agree.

One approach is to talk about things they would like to do or have done about their rooms, especially if those rooms are shared. (I once threatened to stretch barbed wire down the middle of my sons' room!)  Some children may need more privacy, or different times or parts of the house for doing things like practicing musical instruments.  Or one may just need more quiet than another.  Sometimes a partition  (but not barbed wire!) is the answer.  Even painting the sides of the room in two different colors may work.

Mixing ages can bring other problems. I know of a family with two girls just about a year apart in age and a third three years younger.  The two oldest shared a room and the youngest had a small room of her own.  There was constant friction between the two older girls. Moving the youngest girl in with the oldest one and giving the middle girl a room of her own made everyone happier.  You may have to try several different solutions, and it is good to have a rule that each person's belongings are to be left strictly alone.
                                                                                                                    
Bless you if you have none of these problems or have solved them all. Keep trying if you have not. Autumn tends to be a melancholy time for any number of reasons, so that is something to deal with and watch for. If you are a person reading this who lives alone, you can practice Kyggkogck on your own, but it can be wrenching and it is much better to have a friend, relative, or counselor with you when you do.

 

I want to leave you with some of the beautiful flowers that brighten the season.  By this time of year,  many of the flowers are Composites like asters,  daisies,  chrysanthemums and sunflowers.  These are really two flowers blended into one. One of them provides the showy petals that attract bees, butterflies, even bats.  The other half are pollinated by these visitors and produce the central seeds.  Botanists believe these flowers, along with orchids, are relatively new-comers to the plant world.  They have certainly beautified the place.   We will leave you with a bouquet of our favorites.

Best Wishes and Good Luck,

Clockwise from top left: sunflowers, daisies, asters, chrysanthemuns

 

This post by Annake's Garden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.